Door seal



C- G. BAUER Jan. 3, 1950 DOOR SEAL Filed July 15, 1947.

INVENTOR.

C16! 7: 7262 Bar/e7? Patented Jan. 3, 1950 DOOR SEAL" Clarence G. Bauer, Berkely, Mich assignor. I.

Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park,

corporation of Delaware Application July 15, 1947, Serial No."761,102

This invention relates to automobile door constructions and has particular reference to a construction permitting the use of the same type of sealing strip around all edges of the door, the strip serving as a means for cushioning the closing of the door, eliminating rattles between the door and the surrounding body frame and providing a substantially airtight seal between the door and the surrounding body frame. The sealing effect between the doors and the surrounding body frame has become of increasing importance due not only to the desire to eliminate drafts Within the automobile but also due to the desire to provide a substantially airtight interior for automobiles equipped with interior heaters and so-called air conditioning equipment.

In the past, compression type sealing strips various designs have beenused between the marginal flanges on the doors and the surrounding body frame. Some of the disadvantages of compression type seals are that they interfere with and provide a hard door closing action, often they are inefiicient as they seal only at the high points and fail to provide an effective seal at the low points between the door seals and surrounding body frame, and, due to the destructive compressive action, a relatively large size, rugged sealing strip must be provided in order to withstand the wear to which the strip is subjected on door closing movement.

In an effort to overcome the disadvantages of compression type seals, resilient, cantilever type seals have been proposed. The cantilevertype seal is of the non-compression type, and, due to the protruding,' resilient, sealing finger, which is hingedly connected to the base of the seal so as to be easily bent into sealing engagement with the door jamb, a very soft door closing action is attained. By the use of a cantilever type seal a substantially airtight seal is produced along the entire joint between the door and surrounding frame, regardless of variation in clearance along the joint and, furthermore, a less rugged, cheaper.

type of seal may be used. The hinging action of the sealing finger in a cantilever type of seal is not as injurious to the seal as is the compressive action in a compression type of seal therefore the life of the cantilever seal is longer than a. compression type seal.

One of the difficulties encountered in the use of a cantilever type seal has been the requirement for accurate and proper installation of the scale ing strip'on the edge of the door. It has been found that a seal of this type must be installed 6 Claims. (01. 296-44) Mich, a

wardly to seal against the exteriorly exposed front wall of the door jamb on door closing movement. If the seal is not properly installed on the door the sealing fingermay be bent inwardly and compressed. between the door and the side wallof the jamb so as to causeahard door closing action as Well as as inefficient seal. symmetrically shaped, cantilever seals having-the sealing finger extendingat an angle of forty-five degrees with thehorizontalhave been 'found tube the most cushioning properties. It has been found that,

unless this cantilever typeseal is made symmetrical in cross-section, there isa tendency for the assembly line worker to install it in a reversed or backwards position, that is, with the sealing fin ger-"po'sitioned so as to be bent inwardly against the side wall-of the door jamb instead of out-- wardly so asto tension the sealing finger against the exterior front wall of the .door jamb. Also,

the cantilever type' seal must be so designed that the sealing finger has asubstantially hinged con-- nection' to the base portion which permits a free a bending action of thefinger about the base por tion. Such a construction has excellent sealing and cushioning properties and also gives a flexible seal that can be easily bent about the sharp corners or curved portions of the member on which it is mounted. The particular seal herein referred to is more clearly described in an application'of Karl Pfeiffer, Serial Number 760,957, filed July 15, 1947.

In the past it has beendiflicult to use the symcurrent designs .usuallyhave the upper portion.

of the .do'orcurvedror sloped inwardly and upwardly towards the' roof. .i This positions the upper portion of the door on the inside of .the hinge .axisor hinge vline,..see Fig. 3, whereas the lower portioniof'the door is on theoutside of the hinge line.. As a result of this type of constructiondifferent'regions :of the seal along the hinging edge arepositioned at different radial distances from so that the sealing finger can be easily bent outthe .hinge. line and accordingly engage the door jamb at different times during the door closing movement. Due to the hinge mounting generally used with this type of door construction, the lower portion of the hinge edge of the door bends the sealing finger of the door seal, along this lower portion of the door, into engagement with the adjacent portion of the jamb onthe door frame before" the seal on the upper portionof the hinge edge-of "the door is moved into sealing en gagement with the jamb on the upper portion of the door frame.

of the door slants away from the hinge line, in

addition to extending inwardlyi'and upwardlyr, v For instance, the upper portion-of the hiirge edge? of the front door slants upwardly, inwardly and rearwardly whereas the upper portion ofthe hinge edge of the rear door slants upwardly, in-

' wardly and forwardly. To provide forthe'use.

of the improved type offsymmetrical, cantilever sealaround al11 edg es:of.:aldoor.of current design, I it has been-found necessary. to,.modifythe design of the :door. jamb along the; upper portion, of. thehinging;edge,;so;as to produce the'same type of hinge-like sealing' action along this portion oi; the; door edge astoccurs along, all other portions of. the-doorv edge. It hasvv been. found; that by. bevelingsoif thesoutwiardly projecting: edge ofthe doorjamb, along the uppercportion of; theihingr ing-iedge; it is. possible; on.door iclosing ,mOvemen-t,-;

toswingthesealing finger of the door seal:out wardly; againstthe adj acentfront wallof the door} jamb so as: to produce the same type of sealing;

action along; this; portiomof the-dooredgeiasoccurs. along; all; other edge; portions; of; the; door. If=the;,edge-.of, the doorijambalongt e uppe R tion of the hinging-edge: 15.311015? beveled 017T; hen; the sealing;- fingen'along; thisgportionzofi the door: will'be swung into engagement with the, sidewall; of ithe door J'amb, durin doon closingmovement; andithe finger will.:-be :bentvinwardlye and com.- pressed against theiside-wall of: the door.'j amb,- g

instead: of; hinged; outwardly, against: the: front wallof, thedoonjamb; Dashed; lines in; Eig-. 21;:

indicate the, normal: position ofv the. door -j a;mb

hinge edgesprior- -tosbeveling; It issohvioussthat thezsealingifinger ofzthm seali wouldi contact the; side wall ,aof. the jamb; and; bebent! inwardly;- on I doorrclosing movement if: the edge of; the jamb werernotbeveledsoff; rlfl'thesinwardbending action werea-to occur, thecupper: and lower endswof; theportionaofgthesdoon seal; .alongthesupperme tionsof 'thelhingingiedgezof; therdoor; would; 011

tain cross-over sections resulting from'thetwist- I ingsor. bending of "somevportions: of: theseal inwardly. againstthe; sidewall :01 the doonj a mband. bending otherportions?" outwardly against. the front wall .of the; door jamb; These. QIOSSPQVEI;

' sections-5 between-:themppositely bentpsections of the seal-are undesirable for they. interfereawith thesclosing of; the door: due-to functioning direct: compression: type sealing strips: and;

furthermore, due tO3th8i internal stress-esudevel-n 1 oped within the twistedsectionssof the seal, there.

is a tendency tortean thessealiofisthee door; along thecross-over regions; Ifrthee sealing-7' finger is; bent" inwardly a'gainstathe side walliof the .door jamb instead of outwardlyagainst the-frontiwalla of- 'thedoor jammthen 3;. poor: sealiis .:.produced:

f or snow; ice and rainicanwpartiallyi penetrate; the: joint-between the door and the surroundingrbody' frame and causetrouble; By the'simple expedia; ent of beveli'ng-th edge of the door jamh; alongi the upper portion ofthe hinging edge of; they door, it possible tcr use the same typecofidoor 75 To further complicate the probe-1' i lem usually the upper portion of' the hinge edge I from'rthe door hinge line orraxis' to'be bent into sealing engagement with-the front wall of the adjacent door jamb on door closing movement.

I It is a principal object of my invention to pro- Vide a door construction in which the same type 'of symmetrical, cantilever door seal may be appliedrtoall edges-.ofrthe door, the door frame and 'seal'being so constructed and arranged that an improved sea-lis attained, installation of the door sealis simplified and overall cost of the door construction reduced.

It is another object of my invention to provide I r a door construction of an improved and simplified design which provides a substantially airtight seal eliminates rattles between the door and surrounding-body, and provides aneasy door closing actions 7 ItJis anotherlobject of my invention to provide aedoori frame construction for use with a door hav-- ingthe same. type of-cantilever door seal mounted about allits-edgesl the door; jamb alon the.

hinging edge-being beveledsoas to insure an ellicientrsealabout alLedgesof thedoor and alsoproeviding aneasy door closing; action as well as an economical, simplified construction;

Other objects and advantages will becomeapa pareninfrom; the followingdescription of; my, im.-

j proved seal when; considered in conjunctionwith the drawings in which:

Fig: *1 is a side view of angautomobile equipped with .a door: cushioning and sealingmeans in ac-- cordancewith my invention; I a

Fig; Zris-an enlarged sectional :view taken along the.-.line-;2'-2 of Fig; 1; indicating the position of the sealing fingers after closing of the doors, -portions of the front doorbeing brokenaway to, more clearlygdisclosemy invention;

Fig.- 3gis an;end'vieW-of a door of current designl-whichillustrates; the relationship of the uppen and lower portions-pi, the door with respect,

to therh nseaxis o in line; and

:Eig;.,4::is.;asecti=onal.view throughan edge of a door havin a symmetrical, cantilevertype Sealing;

strip. mounted; thereon, the; sealing finger. being shown 'in;its norm-al open doorposition,

:Elach; of the doors 19, mounted on the usual.

hinee al l 7 pnovided-with cushioning andasealing strip 12.

mounted; Qn;the side-edgesof the doorsinside the marginal;- flanges?v I3 at the exterior side .Qf the. doorsr, The frontdpor ishingedly mountedonthe .AypOSligOf the-body; and the rear door is hingedly mountedgonl the; center or'B-post ofstherbodyf frame. The door; frame llllhasaicontinuous mar.- ginal Zrecess. l 5 around each ;.0f the doors adapted toreceivethe flange-J3 ofzthedoor lflsothatthe outsi'deioflthe door issubstantially, flushvwith the outside; otthe body when; the door.is;.=clos.ed. The; fiusherel-ation'ship,between the door and body ispreferablyx maintainedr atall points :exceplt along the top; of; the'; door; the: body being preferably formed at that location to project:outwardly be-- yondith'e plane ofsthedoor so: as=..to provide an eave: to prevent drainagednto the. joint between thedoorsand the. body; ;'Ihe --doorxframe l t-pro.-

vi'desthe door ja-mb 221 which extends; into the recess-1 5 and affords arfrontisealingewall "23; tribe;- engagediby the sealingzstripu l 2'; and a lsidec'walli s, in accordancegwith m invention,

amend 2k adapted-v to; overlie the side edge II: of 1713625992; The upper portion of. the door jambalong the:- hinging' edge of each door has a beveled projects ingedge 25. Itis. necessary to. beveioifthispolftiorr of the edgeof the door jamb. for: this: edge: portion of the jamb. is inside the hinge; line, see: Fig; 3', and. it would interfere with thesealing ac.- tionof the sealing finger I9 of, the seal tzzon door closing movement if it were not beveled ofistead of using a separate, special typeof seat. along the hinge edgesof the doors, by beveling; ofliv the portion of the jamb-along the hinge edgeithaitl is inside. the hinge line, it is possible to use the same type of seal around all edges of the doors. By applying the same type-of seal to all edges of the doors, installation is. simplified, less labor is expended and costs are reduced. The; beveling', of the door jamb can be formed with the stamping of the body frame so no substantial cost increaseresults from the use of a beveled in in -i ed e alongthe door jamb. The. sealing-strip; t2 Willa ordinarily be provided around all edges of each door, the continuit of the strip being indicated by dashed lines in Fig; 1 The strip I22: is

preferably of; moldedsponge rubber or some simir lar resilient material and can be formed with an outer skin on its exposed surfaces to improve its wearing characteristics. The sealing strip I2 is cemented, or otherwise suitably secured by pins, wires, clips or the like to the inside wall I6 of the door flange l3 and to the edge I! of the door Ill. The seal I2 is formed in cross section to be symmetrically shaped and has a right angled base portion I8 adapted to be seated in the corner between the door flange I3 and the side edge ll of the door. In cross section this base portion I8 is substantially of a right-angled, isosceles triangular configuration having the rear side 20 extending at forty-five degrees with both the horizontal wall I1 and the vertical wall I3 which it intersects. This base in cross section resembles an arrowhead and is adapted to have the point or vertex seated in the corner between the flange I3 and edge II. Extending outwardly from the medial portion of the rear side '2Il of the symmetrical base portion I8 of the seal, along a line which bi-sects the angle between the sides of the base portion I8, is a long, symmetrically shaped, sealing finger Ill. The dimensions and shape of sealing finger I9 are such as to furnish a relatively narrow throat portion 2| in order to provide the necessary hinging action between the sealing finger I9 and the base portion I8. The long sealing finger I9 insures a perfect seal regardless of the variations in clearance between the door and frame. Due to the symmetrical design of the sealing strip I2, it is obvious that regardless of the way in which the base portion I8 of the sealing strip I2 is placed in the corner between the side edge I! and the marginal flange I3 of the door, the sealing finger I9 will always project at the same angle and consequently will always function in the same manner. The combination of a symmetrical cantilever seal with a door jamb having the portion of the jamb within the hinge line, along the hinge edge, beveled off, eliminates the possibility of the sealing finger 19 being bent inwardly and compressed against the door jamb side wall 24 on door closing instead of being bent outwardly and tensioned against the front wall of the door jamb 22.

I claim:

1. In an automobile door construction, a door frame defining a door opening and having a jamb portion providing an exteriorly exposed front wall B\ and a. side. wall; the; door jamb-. along the. hinge: edge of the: door frame. comprising a lower hinge portion positioned on. the outside of the hingelineand anupper portion positioned; on theii'nside ofthe hinge 1ine,.the: intersecting edge of" the. frontand: side walls of the. door jamb. along the upper portion of the hinge edge being: beveled:

off; and a door, shaped to conform to the door opening, hingedly mounted on the lower hinge: portion of said door jamb, said door having a. resilient, symmetrically shaped, cantilever type door seal. comprising a, base portion and a sealing finger projecting therefrom mounted on its mar-t g-inah edges, the sealing finger on said seal. being adapted to engage and seal against the front; wall of said door jamb on door closing movement;

2; In. an automobiledoor construction, a door.- framedefining a door opening and having a lamb; portion providing an exteriorly exposed; front:

wall and. a side wall, the door jamb along: the;

hinge edge of the door; frame comprising. ailiower hinge portion positioned on. the outside of the hinge, line and-an upper portion positioned; on; the inside of the, hinge line, the intersecting. edge:

3 of the front and: side. walls of the, door jamb;

along the upper portion of the hinge edge being beveled off, and a door, shaped to conform to the door opening, hingedly mounted on the lower hinge portion of said door jamb, said door having a marginal flange adapted to overlie the front wall of said door jamb when said door is closed, and a symmetrically shaped, cantilever type door seal of resilient material mounted on the side edge of said door adjacent the inner side of said marginal flange, said seal having an outwardly extending sealing finger adapted to engage and seal against the front wall of said door jamb on door closing action.

3. In an automobile door construction, a door frame defining a door opening and having a jamb portion providing an exteriorly exposed front wall and a side wall, the door jamb along the hinge edge of the door frame comprising a lower hinge portion positioned on the outside of the hinge line and an upper portion positioned on the inside of the hinge line, the intersecting edge of the front and side walls of the door jamb along the hinge edge of the door frame being beveled off, and a door, shaped to conform to the door opening, hingedly mounted on the lower hinge portion of said door jamb, said door having a resilient, cantilever type door seal comprising a base portion and a sealing finger projecting therefrom mounted on its marginal edges, the sealing finger on said seal being adapted to engage and seal against the front wall of said door jamb on door closing movement.

4. In an automobile door construction, a door frame defining a door opening and having a jamb portion providing an exteriorly exposed front wall anda side wall, the door jamb along the hinge edge of the door frame comprising a lower hinge portion positioned on the outside of the hinge line and an upper portion positioned on the inside of the hinge line, the intersecting edge of the front and side walls of the door jamb along the hinge edge of the door frame being beveled off, and a door, shaped to conform to the door opening, hingedly mounted on the lower hinge portion of said door jamb, said door having a marginal flange adapted to overlie the front wall of said door jamb when said door is closed, and a cantilever type door seal of resilient material mounted on the side edge of said door adjacent the inner side of said marginal flange, said 2 seal having an outwardly extending sealing finger adapted to engage and seal against the front wall of said door'jamb on door closing action.

5'. In'an automobile door construction, a door opening having a jamb portion along the hinging edge of the opening providing an exteriorly exposed edge, the lower portion of said edge being positioned outside the hinge axis and the upper portion of said edge being positioned within the hinge axis, the edge at said upper portion of said jamb being beveled, and a door, shaped to conform to said opening, hingedly mounted on the lower portion of the hinging edge of said jamb, said door having a resilient, cantilever type sealing strip comprising a base portion and a sealing finger projecting therefrom mounted about its marginal edges, the sealing finger of said sealing strip being adapted to engage the exteriorly ex-' posed edge of said jamb and to be bent outwardly on movement of the door to closed position.

6. In an automobile door construction, a door frame defining a door opening and having a jamb portion providing an exteriorly exposed front wall and a side wall, the door jamb along the hinge edge of the door frame comprising a portion positiond on the outside of the hinge line and a p01 tion positioned on the inside of the, hinge line, the intersecting edge of the front and side walls of the door jamb along one of said portions being REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the V file'of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,855,713 Hughes Apr. 26, 1932 2,116,330 'I'jaarda May 3, 1938' 2 ,161,648 Wid-man June 6, 1939 2,219,382 Conlon Oct. 29, 1940 2,267,433

Tea Dec. 23, 1941 

